JACKSON'S WHITES

Jackson's Whites concerns a group of women supposedly recruited by a Mr. Jackson to entertain British troops fighting in the American Revolution. After the war the women migrated from Manhattan to the Ramapo Mountains that divide the present Orange and Rockland Counties NY. My two main sources of information about them were F.B. Green's "History of Rockland County" and William Carlos Williams' epic poem "Paterson."

Sheila Schonbrun - soprano
Lisa Karrer - alto
Denman Maroney - tenor, keyboard
David Simons - drums, recording (8/08)
Paul Geluso - mixing, editing, mastering (11/08)

Lyric

Jackson's boats sailed to sea. One went down on the way.

Jackson's Whites were aboard. Some were drowned in the storm.

To the south Jackson sailed to replace those who died.

One new boat full of Jacks Jackson sailed back up north.

When we got to New York we were six boats in all.

When we got upon land we were put in a pen.

Lispenard Meadows was where we all were confined.

Soldiers came. Soldiers went. Soldiers came. Soldiers went.

They liked whites but not Jacks. They liked whites but not Jacks.

Liverpool? Come with me! Barbados? Go away!

So we lived in our pen. We had brats. We had men.

The war lost, the men left. We were set free again.

We set out for the hills, the hills of Ramapo.

Washington had been there - lost his watch at Suffern Torne.

The links of the great chain at West Point were made there.

Hessian troops, British troops, Africans went there too.

Unami, Unalachto and Minsi. Delaware.

The Turtle, the Turkey and the Wolf: the three tribes.

Forest trees: butternut, the chestnut, and the beech;

Tupelo, the sweet gum, wild cherry, tumbling fruit.

Iron mines! Charcoal fires! Iron mines! Charcoal fires!

Deserters! Runaways! Deserters! Runaways!

Jackson Whites! Jacks and Whites! Jackson's Whites!